Roasted Red Pepper Shells recipe combines tender pasta shells with browned crumbled sausage, onions, fresh herbs, melted parmesan cheese, and an irresistible roasted red pepper sauce!
Enjoy this easy and comforting one-pan dish anytime with simple ingredients and minimal effort. Pair it with a light and refreshing green salad or fluffy bread rolls to soak up any excess sauce.
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🗝️ Recipe’s key points
- Any excess red pepper sauce is great for chicken lasagna, sandwiches, wraps, salads, and other dishes that need an irresistible sauce!
- The thick and flavorful red pepper sauce is a delicious alternative to the traditional tomato sauce commonly found in pasta recipes.
- This dish is incredibly easy to make, perfect for a quick and delicious midweek meal that the whole family will love.
Roasted red pepper sauce coats tender pasta shells with melted parmesan cheese and fresh herbs for an irresistible and comforting one-pan meal!
🛒 Ingredients
This is an overview of the ingredients. You’ll find the full measurements and instructions in the recipe card (printable) at the bottom of the page.
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- Canned roasted red peppers
- Italian sausage links — either hot or mild
- Olive oil
- Tomato sauce
- Flour
- Chicken stock
- Heavy cream
- Italian seasoning
- Onion
- Garlic
- Black Pepper
- Kosher salt
- Parmesan cheese
- Fresh basil
- Shell pasta – or your choice of pasta
🗒 Instructions
This is an overview of the instructions. Full instructions are in the recipe card at the bottom of the page.
- Cook the pasta as directed by the package instructions and drain well.
- Blend the red bell peppers and chicken stock in a blender until smooth. Set aside.
- Brown the sausage in a large skillet over medium-high heat for 5-7 minutes with the onion and stir to crumble the sausage. Drain any excess fat.
- Stir in the garlic and Italian seasoning for 1 minute.
- Whisk in the flour.
- Gradually whisk in the red bell pepper mixture and tomato sauce.
- Bring the mixture to a boil, reducing the heat and allowing it to simmer, stirring occasionally, until reduced and slightly thickened.
- Stir in the pasta and heavy cream until heated through. Season with salt and pepper.
- Stir in Parmesan until melted.
- Stir in the basil.
- Adjust seasoning as necessary.
- Serve immediately.
🥫 Storage
Store leftover roasted red pepper shells in an airtight container in the fridge for 3–4 days or in the freezer for 1-3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat in a large skillet, adding a splash of extra red pepper sauce to loosen the mixture.
Any excess sauce can be stored in a separate airtight container or ice cube tray in the freezer for up to 2 months, ready to thaw and reheat whenever needed.
📚 Variations
- I’ve used jarred roasted red peppers, but you could roast peppers from scratch if you prefer.
- Add other vegetables and omit the sausage for a vegetarian dish. Vegetable stock can be used instead of chicken stock, too.
- Add a pinch of smoked paprika to the red pepper sauce for a kick of spicy flavor.
- I’ve used pasta shells for this recipe, but you could use another favorite pasta of your choice.
👩🏻🍳 Tips
- Drain the jarred red peppers before adding them to the blender to avoid excess liquid that can make the sauce runny.
- Use a good-quality jarred roasted red pepper for this pasta dish. Brands that use scraps of red peppers are not going to yield the same delicious results.
- It’s normal for the pasta shells to absorb some of the red pepper sauce in storage. You can easily make the extra sauce just before serving leftovers and stir it into the mixture while reheating to serve.
- I usually shave 2 minutes off the suggested cooking time for the pasta, as it will continue to cook in the skillet with the sauce.
🤔 FAQs
This red pepper sauce consists of blended red pepper and chicken stock.
Red peppers can be bitter, which will make the sauce slightly bitter too. You can taste the peppers before making the sauce to ensure that they aren’t overly bitter for your liking. Peeled red peppers are less bitter.
Another slightly spicy sauce, such as garlic chili sauce or hot sauce, can be used. Chili powder, chili powder blend, or cayenne pepper is a great addition for a kick of heat.
Peel the red peppers if you want to avoid any bitterness, since much of the bitterness is present in the skin.
Roast the peppers on a baking tray on the middle rack of the oven and cook for about 25–30 minutes at 350F until they are soft, puffy, and slightly charred. It’s best to slice the peppers in half and place them facing cut-side down on a baking sheet lined with foil.
- Italian Creamy Beef And Shells – Another creamy pasta shell dish full of cheesy flavor that’s perfect with a side of salad or some breadsticks.
- Vegetable Sausage Pasta Bake – This vegetable sausage pasta bake is another quick and easy comfort food recipe, loaded with meaty-rich flavors, saucy pasta, healthy veggies, and melted cheese!
- Stuffed Rigatoni Bake – This stuffed pasta bake is made with traditional marinara sauce, cheese-stuffed pasta tubes, and parmesan topping. Enjoy it as a satisfying lunch or dinner with your favorite side dish.
🔪 All Our Way recommends the following
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You’ll need the following items to make this recipe successfully.
- Brasier or heavy skillet
- Pasta pot
- Liquid measuring cup
- Dry measuring cup
- Cheese grater
📞 Chiacchierata (chat)
We were tired of eating the same tomato-flavored pasta sauce and craving a burst of flavor that would bring our pasta dish to life. This Creamy Roasted Red Pepper Sauce was the solution. This roasted pepper sauce is packed with savory and mouth-watering flavors that will take your taste buds on a sensational adventure.
Whether you’re looking for a quick weeknight dinner or want to impress your guests with a gourmet pasta dish, this Roasted Red Pepper Sauce is the perfect choice. It’s versatile and pairs well with various proteins, from succulent grilled chicken to tender shrimp.
Tutti a tavolo, è pronto!
If you love this recipe please give it 5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.
What’s new? Check out my All Our Way Store on Amazon. We’ll be adding more items we love and use or wish we had to make
cooking fun and easy.
📖 Recipe
Creamy Roasted Red Pepper Sauced Shells
Roasted Red Pepper Shells is an irresistible dish coating tender pasta with roasted red pepper sauce, crumbled sausage, onion, melted parmesan cheese, and fresh herbs!
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Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 771kcal
As An Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Ingredients
- 8 ounces medium pasta shells
- 16 ounce jar of roasted red bell peppers drained
- ¾ cup chicken stock
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 12 ounces mild Italian sausage casing removed
- ½ medium sweet onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 ½ teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 8 ounce can of tomato sauce
- ½ cup heavy cream
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves
Instructions
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In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta according to package instructions; drain well.
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Combine red bell peppers and chicken stock in a blender until smooth; set aside.
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Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add sausage and onion, and cook, stirring frequently, until sausage is browned, about 5-7 minutes, making sure to crumble the sausage as it cooks; drain excess fat.
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Stir in garlic and Italian seasoning until fragrant, about 1 minute.
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Whisk in flour until lightly browned, about 1 minute.
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Gradually whisk in red bell pepper mixture and tomato sauce. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until reduced and slightly thickened, about 6-8 minutes.
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Stir in pasta and heavy cream until heated through, about 1-2 minutes; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Stir in Parmesan until melted, about 2 minutes. Stir in basil.
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Serve immediately.
Nutrition
Calories: 771kcal | Carbohydrates: 61g | Protein: 28g | Fat: 46g | Saturated Fat: 19g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 19g | Cholesterol: 110mg | Sodium: 2741mg | Potassium: 847mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 1474IU | Vitamin C: 61mg | Calcium: 239mg | Iron: 4mg
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